The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Thuja occidentalis and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Bail John’. ‘Bail John’ represents a new Arborvitae, an evergreen tree grown for landscape use.
The inventor discovered this new Arborvitae as a single plant in a nursery block of Thuja occidentalis ‘Techny’ (un-patented) in the summer of 1989. The inventor selected the new cultivar as unique because the foliage appeared to be noticeably denser, resulting in a more compact plant with a broader plant habit than ‘Techny’. ‘Bail John’ is a naturally occurring branch sport of ‘Techny’, as all plants in the block from which it was selected were derived from cuttings of ‘Techny’. Further testing revealed that ‘Bail John’ did not require the repeated shearing that is required with ‘Techny’ to produce a marketable, dense plant. ‘Bail John’ is similar to its parent, ‘Techny’, in that it has the same very dark green foliage that is retained throughout the winter.
Although other cultivars of Thuja occidentalis are known to the inventor that are compact, they are considerably more dwarf, differ in plant shape or lack the foliage characteristics of ‘Bail John’ derived from ‘Techny’. In comparison to Thuja occidentalis ‘Holmstrup’, (un-patented) ‘Bail John’ is less pyramidal in shape, has greater winter hardiness, and has darker foliage with better color retention in the winter months.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by hardwood cuttings in Menomonee Falls, Wis. in summer of 1989 by the inventor. Further generations of cuttings were taken in following years and trials have determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.